Originally posted on May 9, 2006 on foxsports.com
I love Darlington. Darlington owns a special place in my heart nearly equal to Indy (don't tell my hoosier friends or they probably won't let me back in the state!). It's appropriate that Indy and Darlington are my favorite tracks, as Darlington was modeled after Indy. The creator of Darlington, Harold Brasington, attended the 1930 Indianapolis 500 and decided to build his own track in South Carolina.
When Darlington opened on Labor Day, 1950, Brasington anticipated a crowd of 10,000 people. However, before the end of the day, 25,000 spectators were watching a field of 75 cars take the green flag. Six hours later, the first Darlington winner, Johnny Mantz, was crowned. Thus, a tradition and a legacy was born.
I attended the last Southern 500 in 2004, and Darlington definitely left its black stripe on me. When the Busch and Nextel Cup Series take the track this weekend, it will nearly kill me to be "stuck" at home.
Why do I love Darlington? It takes the driver's skill to prevent the acquistion of the "Darlington Stripe" by brushing the wall. The egg shaped configuration of the track (due to a minnow pond near the third corner when built), forces drivers to race the track, not each other. On top of this, the texture of the track eats tires alive. Darlington is called "The Track to Tough to Tame" and "The Lady in Black." Regardless, it is a driver's track - there are more ways for a driver to beat himself than at any other track.
Darlington is easy to love - the racing all around the track is visible from the stands and naturally, there is no substitute for South Carolina hospitality.
Darlington had two races every year from 1950 to 2004. One was the "Southern 500" which was held on Labor Day. The Labor Day race date was given to California Speedway, and the Southern 500 ended after 55 years, in November, 2004. Allegedly, Nascar moved the race due to flagging ticket sales at Darlington and the hope that a race in California on a holiday weekend would spur Nascar growth on the West Coast.
Nascar now runs a Saturday night race on Mother's Day weekend at Darlington. So far, the race has sold out in 2005, and this year.
Darlington is unique. It challenges drivers. It crushes the dreams of those who get cocky and think they've figured her out. It creates spectacular finishes.
Darlington is the template that other Nascar tracks have tried to follow since its creation. So far, they all pale in comparison to the original "Lady in Black."
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